Bangladesh Open: Gaganjeet Bhullar and Rahul Bajaj lying T3 in Dhaka

Gaganjeet Bhullar and Rahul Bajaj got off to a great start in the Bangladesh Open

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February 10, 2016: Japan’s Shunya Takeyasu blasted an opening seven-under-par 64 to take the early morning lead at the second edition of the US$300,000 Bashundhara Bangladesh Open on Wednesday. Indians Gaganjeet Bhullar and Rahul Bajaj shot 67 each to squeeze themselves into a group of eight golfers tied in third at the end of the first day.

“It was quite a consistent round for me today. I made 14 pars and four birdies. I didn’t do anything exciting to be honest,” said a modest Bhullar. “I just managed to keep the ball in play. I hit the ball really good and I gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities out there. It was a decent round.”

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“This is my third time playing this golf course. I won a PGTI event here in back 2011. It’s nice to be back after five years,” added an obviously pleased Bhullar. “I remember a lot of good scores on this golf course. It’s a great layout. I have played the old layout before and it has improved a lot. The greens are really good and the course is in a great shape. I look forward to seeing a lot of low numbers this week.”

The 23-year-old Japanese, who just claimed his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory last week, began his title charge with a flawless display of golf where he nailed seven birdies to lead by one shot over Thitiphun Chuayprakong of Thailand at the Kurmitola Golf Club.

Thai trio Namchok Tantipokhakul, Sutijet Kooratanapisan and freshman Kevin Techakanokboon carded matching 64s to sit in current third place alongside India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar and Rahul Bajaj, as well as George Gandranata of Indonesia.

Local prospects Md. Jibon Ali and Md. Abdul Matin emerged as the highest placed Bangladeshis after returning with identical 68s to share ninth place with Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe, who is playing in his first Asian Tour event this week.

Takeyasu, who turned professional in 2014. credited his hot putter for a solid round which saw him sink a 32-footer putt for par on the first hole.

“I played solid today, especially my putting. I sank a long putt on the first hole and that was kind of the highlight for me today. This is a challenging golf course. The fairways are tight so you got to drive the ball really well and put the ball in good positions.

Takeyasu, who secured his 2016 Asian Tour card after finishing inside top-40 at the Qualifying School last month, was pleased to build on his good form from last week.

“Winning on the ADT last week was a great confidence-booster. The game’s feeling good and I am riding on my good form. I hope I can continue to play like that for the next three rounds,” added Takeyasu.

Thitiphun kept up his hopes of making amends for last year where he missed the halfway cut after marking his card with one eagle and six birdies against two bogeys.

“I think I am very lucky today, especially my putting. I sank in 15-footers on the eight and 18. The course is not easy. I putted very well and I guess that was what makes the difference today,” said the 23-year-old Thai, who sank a 10-footer eagle putt on seventh after hitting a three-wood for about 260 yards to the pin.

With the Olympic Games looming in July where golf will be reintroduced as a medal sport, the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open will be a good opportunity for players in the region to earn their spots in Rio de Janeiro with the Official World Golf Ranking points on offer.

Report issued by Asian Tour

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